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I just want to start off by saying that I’m not a relationship/dating expert, I have never been in a serious relationship and I’m (very much) single but I wanted to share with you the cultural differences in terms of dating & relationships between France and the UK along with my opinion about it.

These are all based on my experiences and the people I’ve met so it will be different for each individual. I’m only generalising and sharing what I’ve seen and went through so if you’re interested then keep on reading!

BOYS/MEN

I think this was something I was curious about, if there were any differences between British and French guys and to be completely honest, there aren’t any massive differences. Obviously, I’ve noticed a number of differences between British and French guys that I’ve interacted but I think it has to do more with the environment they were raised in, if that makes any sense. You have everywhere guys that are immature, childish and guys that are really nice.

THE DATING CONCEPT

One of the reasons why I’m not into dating is because in France when you date someone, you pretty much are in a relationship – you’re their boyfriend/girlfriend. Whilst in the UK (probably most countries), dating doesn’t change your relationship status at all, you could be dating someone for months and it doesn’t mean anything. In addition, you can date multiple people at the same time so it can turn into a competition pretty quickly.

Since September is Sexual Health Awareness month, I wanted to touch base on the fact that sexual health isn’t something you should feel embarrassed about, it’s as important as your mental health and your physical health. If you decide to be sexually active then make sure you take the necessary precautions.

Whether you’re having sex for the 1st time or the 30th time, with someone you’ve known for ages or for a few hours, whatever your age is, you should be tested regularly for STDs. I know some people can feel offended or ashamed to be tested but your body is your vessel. So it’s very important that you take care of it, even if you just have one partner, do an annual checkup. Better be safe than sorry, right?

The tests can vary depending on your symptoms and what you’re being tested for, some tests require you to fully undress and have a full examination which can feel uncomfortable for some people but with STDcheck.com, they only need your blood and urine samples.

The tests usually take only 5 minutes or less and your results will be available in your online account in 1-2 days. Also, the tests are private and confidential, your information will not be divulged to anyone including your doctor.

DATING WHILE IN SCHOOL/UNI

Most people date when they’re in school/uni, personally I feel more people date while they’re in school in France compared to England. But I find that people want to find the love of their life while they’re in school/uni in the UK whereas in France, people don’t think about serious relationships.

Personally, I have two very strong opinions about being in a relationship while in school/uni. One one hand, I wouldn’t recommend it because being in school is one of the most stressful times of your life, and managing your time between exams, assignments, presentations, your family, friends, social life, etc. can very hard and adding a relationship on top of that can be overwhelming.

A relationship requires a lot of time and effort, and both parties need to have some level of understanding and maturity to make the relationship work. Most guys (including some girls too) you meet in high school & uni are immature and their first priority is their career (+ their social life) and might not value your relationship which can create a lot of disagreements and issues if you’re the type of person to put your partner in the first place.

This will only create stress, pain, mental breakdowns and it will distract you from going to classes and working on your essays. Your time in school is very precious and unpredictable because we’re constantly changing as a person. I don’t think it’s the right time to start a serious relationship.

However, one another hand, you get to learn so many things in school including life lessons, social skills, morals, values and ethics. You can learn a lot of valuable things from your relationship which includes about yourself as well, if you were to date later on in life, you probably wouldn’t discover them.

Also, when you meet the right person, you just know it. You don’t have to wait to finish your education to fall in love with someone, you can do both things at the same time – trust your intuition!

DATING A FRIEND

This is something that was really hard for me, there are so many instances where your best friend turns into a boyfriend and later your husband which happens everywhere in the world. However, I’ve never had any guy friends that fell in love with me and were completely obsessed with me to the point of forcing to be in a relationship, which is so contrasting to France.

If you’re friends with someone and they start to develop romantic feeling towards you, they’ll just let you know and ask you if you have the same sort of feeling towards them. If you don’t have any, then you go back to being friends and don’t talk about it.

Whereas in England, some guys will become friends with you in the hope that you’ll fall in love with them. Even if you tell them that you don’t have any romantic feelings towards them, they’ll still be doing things to let you know they’re still in love with you which can make things very uncomfortable.

It’s to the point that I stopped interacting with other guys because I didn’t want to be put into this uncomfortable situation every single time. It’s very sad because you lose a friendship and it makes you question your actions, the other person’s actions and if they were truly a good friend to begin with.

THE PRESSURE OF DATING

In France, you’ll see most people in a relationship but nobody will pressure you to start a relationship or to get with someone, which is the complete opposite in the UK. People are always matchmaking you with someone and pressuring you to be with someone, even if you’re happily single.

Personally, I’d rather be happily single than feel lonely while being with someone. I think the pressure has to do more with the fact that in the media and in our society, there is a notion that being in a relationship and getting married is a goal/plan you should achieve in your life, and when someone sees that you don’t give importance to it, then they think you’re not having fun and you’ll end up alone with no one in your life.

As I said previously, all the things I mentioned are based on my experiences. Obviously, there are good and bad people everywhere in the world, and I’m not saying one country is better than the other, I’m just simply stating my views. If you went through any similar experiences, please share it with me, I’d love to know your opinion around this topic.

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40 Comments

You’ve touched on some really good points here hun. I’m married and met my hubby on a dating site five years ago. He’s everything I could ever wish for in a man and more, so there are little gems hiding on dating sites! (Contrary to popular belief) haha.

I’m sure it won’t be long before someone snaps you up! Fab post lovely lady.

I completely get it, it’s so hard to date when people don’t have the same morals and values as you because most times people aren’t understanding. I’m exactly like you, I’m focusing my time on achieving my goals and dreams, if something is meant to happen, it will happen so I’m not pressuring myself. Plus I love being single! x

In America, people don’t take relationships very seriously anymore as I see it. I suffered two divorces by the time I was 35 ANF contracted HPV from my cheating 2nd husband of which I got cancer from. Not good. I’m with a great guy now, but it’s a dog eat dog world out there. France seems to take their women more seriously than America and the UK.

I’m so sorry to hear that, I’m glad you’re with a great person now! I don’t think it’s only in America, it’s very rare that people take relationships seriously nowadays, most people get into a relationship to ‘kill time’ x

My girlfriend and I are calling it quits after 20 years of living together. I can’t wait to be single for the rest of my life. Realtionships aren’t worth the time, energy, effort, and money you put into them. I can’t wait to be unbound.
Cheers to the single life.

Really interesting to read the cultural differences between dating in France and the UK. I used to have a friend who was French and she got really upset a couple of times when she found out guys she was seeing were still on logging into dating apps. I thought it didn’t mean they didn’t like or respect her, but they just hadn’t discussed being exclusive yet.
It makes sense now, comparing the different cultural expectations!
I wish the attitude of not pressuring single people to get into a relationship could reach England!

I completely understand your friend, that’s one of the reasons why I’m not into dating. You never know what the other person’s intentions are and it can be tricky in some situations. I think the pressure is everywhere, not only in England. But I agree with you, I wish people wouldn’t pressure to start or to get into a relationship. Thanks for reading!